1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an elastic paving material used for paving pathways, tracks, and passageways in various sports facilities and other facilities, such as golf courses, athletic fields, pools, parks, schools, buildings, and the like.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, an elastic paving material used for paving pathways in golf courses and the like has been made by a process in which fibrous rubber chips are prepared from waste rubber such as tires of vehicles, conveyer belts, and a binder is then added thereto. In this case, the fibrous rubber chips are black. Therefore, in order to obtain a colored elastic paving material, toner (color powder) is blended, together with the binder, into the fibrous rubber chips so as to color the paving material.
FIG. 1 shows schematically the conventional elastic paving material as described above. In FIG. 1, numeral 22 denotes fibrous rubber chips, while numeral 24 denotes a binder for bonding together the fibrous rubber chips 22. Although the fibrous rubber chips 22 are arranged horizontally or substantially horizontally, they are oriented randomly in the horizontal plane. Since the binder 24 is added only in an amount sufficient to adhere to the surface of the fibrous rubber chips 22, many voids 26 are formed in the elastic paving material, thereby providing excellent water permeability.
However, since the conventional elastic paving material shown in FIG. 1 includes only fibrous rubber chips as a base material, it has only low hardness and insufficient durability. Moreover, since the conventional elastic paving material has been colored by black fibrous rubber chips and/or by adding a toner thereto, it has been monotonous and not colorful.